At first glance, the Metaverse and travel appear like two entirely separate entities. Still, if we’ve learned anything at SuperWorld, they’re actually rather closely connected. What if you could pay for hotels worldwide with NFTs or Bitcoin? What if this new business model completely transformed the travel industry and made us look at it differently? Web3 could change the world, and while it will be a slow transition, it’s definitely on its way!

In this episode of Building a Better World, Hrish is joined by Luca De Giglio, Founder of TripsCommunity, a decentralized travel booking platform for digital nomads and travelers, giving people a simple way to see the world using digital currency. Not only is he the CEO of Adormo and the host of the Web3 in Travel podcast, but he also launched and managed Trip Magazine for four years and is regularly called upon to speak at conferences!

How Traveling Inspired TripsCommunity - If there’s one thing Luca loves, it’s traveling. Perhaps traveling can sometimes seem completely unrelated to Web3 and the Metaverse, but much like Hrish, it inspired him to come up with the TripsCommunity to help those using digital currencies like Bitcoin to book hotels and BnBs! He says when he started doing it, it worked almost immediately. He essentially invented the BnB models several years before Airbnb, the difference being that it was a lifestyle business. 

Comparing the Web3 Model With Web1&2 - Right now, Web3 is still very experimental; people are constantly trying new things. In Web1, people could only read; Web2 meant that people could read, write and watch something, while Web3 is all about decentralized ownership. On Web2, there is no actual ownership - you don't own your accounts on any website. It may seem like it, but they’re not yours. Luca compares it to the creation of America when people decided they’d had enough of monarchies and wanted to possess their own land; Web3 is the same thing but in the digital world.

Exciting Aspects of Web3 Innovation - Luca claims he’s most excited about using NFTs as bookings. When you make a booking, you’re signing a contract, but introducing NFTs can offer a whole new perspective: it’s not a contract, it’s a digital asset. As a hotel, you would get the money given, which would be nonrefundable, giving you the option to resell or hold onto the NFT you received as payment. It’s a superior interpretation of a booking.

Will These Decentralized Models Affect How Web2 Companies Operate? - Web3 will take a long while to come into the mainstream as plenty of people will still use Web2 as a method for booking hotels. But how will businesses react to Web3? Well, they could adapt to Web2 relatively well, even if it was initially slow. One thing that’s for certain is that it will change the business model for booking websites!

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The Building a Better World podcast is hosted by Hrish Lotlikar. In each episode, Hrish interviews people who are involved or interested in the Metaverse, VR, and Web3, and are actively using technologies to improve people’s real-world lives in a practical way.